CES 2013: Lenovo showcases 5 dual-SIM smartphones targeted at young professionals

Lenovo kick started the CES 2013 by showcasing its 5.5-inch phablet, Lenovo K900. Now the company has announced five new dual-SIM smartphones.
The two smartphones in the S-Series seem to be the higher-end models and according to the company aimed at the young, urban professionals.
S890 is a 5-inch smartphone with qHD (540 x 960 resolution) screen. It is 9.3mm thick and weights 176 grams. There is a 8-megapixel auto-flash camera on-board and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). Lenovo S890 is powered by a 2,250mAh battery.
The other device is S-Series is the S720, which comes with 4.5-inch IPS (960x540) display. It comes with a 8-megapixel rear camera and 1-megapixel front camera. It is 9.9mm thick and comes in what Lenovo dubs as the 'Loop' design. It is expected to be available in three colour options and run on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). It will run on dual-core MTK CPU and a 2,000 mAh battery.
Lenovo IdeaPhone P770 is more apt for the frequent travelers as it comes with 3500mAh battery and the company claims that it can deliver up to 30 hours of talk time between charges. It runs on Android Jelly Bean. The other notable feature for this smartphone is the USB on-the-go feature.
The other two dual-SIM devices that Lenovo has showcased are Lenovo A800 and Lenovo IdeaPhoneA690. Both of them run on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Lenovo A800 has a dual-core, 1.2GHz CPU and a 4.5-inch touchscreen. It comes with 2000mAh battery. While Lenovo IdeaPhoneA690 comes with a 1GHz processor, 4.0-inch screen with a resolution of 800X480.
"For smartphone users, one size does not fit all," commented Liu Jun, president MIDH and senior vice president Lenovo Group, "We've learned from our customers, and we know they have many different, unique reasons for selecting Lenovo smartphones. Our new portfolio, features devices designed to please and amaze a wide range of customers globally, with a phone for every user.
Lenovo has not revealed the pricing for any of these smartphones but they are expected to be launched in China soon.
The Chinese smartphone maker has also showcased Lenovo Ideaphone K5 earlier at CES 2013. This is a single SIM smartphone, which comes with a 5-inch full HD display. It sports a dual-core graphics processor and a 13-megapixels rear camera.
Lenovo Ideaphone K5 is expected to be launched in China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, India and Russia.

Asus announces Transformer AiO, All-in-One PC-tablet hybrid with Windows 8 and Android

It's a tablet. It's a desktop. No wait...it's the Asus Transformer All-in One. Asus is claiming that it's the " world's first AiO PC with a detachable tablet". The best part is that the machine can function on both Windows 8 and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating systems.

The ergonomics of the machine is such that it allows users to merge desktop computing with wireless mobility. In desktop mode, the Transformer AiO runs on Windows 8 sporting an 18.4-inch full-HD IPS touch screen with a 1920x1080-pixel revolution.  The machine is powered by 3rd generation Intel Core processors with NVIDIA GT 730M graphics.

Once the screen is detached, users will be equipped with an 18.4-inch Android 4.1 tablet with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor powering the standalone device. The tablet will also have the Windows 8 OS for users to choose as per their liking. This happens at the touch of a small blue OS switch on the right that performs an instantaneous transition between the operating systems.

Considering the huge size of the screen when used as a tablet, Asus has added a convenience element in the form of an integral handle that makes it easy to carry the tablet while on-the-move. There's also a built-in stand keeps the display at the perfect angle for tabletop use. The screen has wide viewing angles and the ASUS SonicMaster audio technology assures users of an immersive listening experience.

It seems like Asus believes in convertibles when it comes to tablets, ultrabooks and smartphones. TheTransformer Prime (Review I Pictures) and the Asus Padfone/Padfone 2 are examples of some devices that not just offer convenience but increased functionality as well. With the Transformer AiO, Asus has fulfilled the Android community's urge for an Android desktop, but at the same time keeping in tact the functionality of the mobile OS as well.

Asus claims the Transformer AiO will retail for $1,299 with a Core i3 chip starting Q1 2013 The company is also planning to release the machine in Core i5 and Core i7 variants. Other details such as RAM, storage and battery life remain unknown at this point.

Samsung's flexible 'Youm' OLED display coming to future smartphones and tablets

In some latest news from the Samsung stable at CES in Las Vegas, the company showed off its flexible display technology that it calls Youm at its closing keynote. The bendable OLED lineup uses thin plastic instead of glass, thereby making it unbreakable.

The new screen technology was demoed as a future concept by Stephen Woo, President of Samsung, who was joined by Brian Berkeley, Senior Vice President of Samsung Display. The curvaceous prototype featured a wrap-around screen that took the display and the content on it, around the edges of the device.

Th company also played out a concept video which showed a phone that unfolds to transform into a tablet.

It was interesting to see Microsoft jumping in with Eric Rudder, the company's Chief Technical Strategy officer demonstrating a prototype of a Windows Phone with the Youm display. Images posted by CNETreveal the bendable prototype with a Windows live tile interface. Not just that, Rudder also seemed to mock Apple by saying, "Some companies talk about reality distortion fields -- we built one".

It's unlikely for the Youm tech to reach the masses soon, but it's interesting to know that the company is thinking about implementing it in the future. We'll make sure to update you with all the details as and when they're available.

Furthermore, Samsung also announced that it's developing a 10.1-inch LCD panel that will use 25 percent less of the energy in the current iteration without compromising on the resolution.

Samsung had showcased two prototypes with flexible displays at CES 2011 as well. One was a paper-thin 4.5-inch screen with a WVGA (800x480 pixel) resolution that bends like an arc. The other was a transparent qFHD (quad full high definition) AMOLED display that Samsung claimed to be working on for TVs and monitors.

The Korean electronics giant has had its fair share of attention at the event with quite a few products across various categories. These include curved OLED TVs, Series 7 notebooks,the F9500 OLED TV, Bluetooth soundbar and NFC-enabled speakers, full-HD Windows 8 touchscreen monitor, the NX300 camera, gesture control TVs and its new Exynos 5 Octa Soc with eight cores. 

PCs aren't disappearing anytime soon: Lenovo CEO

China's Lenovo Group Ltd, on track to become the world's No.1 personal computer maker, is leveraging on what it calls the "PC plus" era as the company ramps up its plant capacity in major markets including the United States.
PC demand growth has waned over the past year as more consumers flock to ultraportable and increasingly powerful tablets and smartphones for basic computing. Hewlett Packard (HP), Dell and other stalwarts of the PC industry are now fighting to sustain growth as tablet computers eat into their PC-related businesses.
But PCs aren't disappearing anytime soon.
"We don't live in a post-PC world," Lenovo Chief Executive Yuanqing Yang said in an interview in Las Vegas on Wednesday. "We are entering the PC plus era."
Yang said it is a post-PC world for one group companies that do not innovate in PCs.
"In our industry many players think PCs have become a commodity product," he said. "We have never thought this way."
Lenovo, he said, has redefined the category with products like Yoga, a laptop running Microsoft Corp's Windows 8 that can be converted to a tablet PC by flipping the screen all the way backwards, and Twist, another laptop that has a screen connected through a hinge.
The two laptops have had brisk sales in the United States with Lenovo capturing 40 percent consumer market share in the $900 and above category.
Market share
Lenovo vaulted into the PC market by buying IBM's personal computer division in 2005. It has become a force through aggressive pricing, overseas acquisitions and taking advantage of a fast-growing home market.
Lenovo is lagging HP in PC shipments in the third quarter by less than half a percentage point, according to IDC, a consultancy. IDC placed HP at the No.1 spot with a 15.9 percent market share, marginally ahead of Lenovo's 15.7 percent share.
But Gartner, a rival to IDC, said Lenovo held the lead, with a 15.7 percent market share in the third quarter of 2012 compared to HP's 15.5 percent.
A year earlier, HP held a 17 percent market share while Lenovo held 13.1 percent, Gartner said. In the third quarter of 2010, Lenovo ranked fourth with 10.4 percent, trailing HP with 17.5 percent, Acer with 13.1 percent, and Dell with 12.2 percent.
"Now we are nurturing new areas including smartphones and tablets," Yang said. "We have focused on this change for many years. We have prepared for this trend."
Diverse workforce
One of the secrets of Lenovo's success, apart from its strategy, is its diverse workforce, Yang said. Its nine-person executive team represents six countries, he said.
The company wants a manufacturing footprint to match, with plans to increase the number of plants in most of its major markets. It is building a plant in the U.S.
It also plans to add more local products and local research and development.
"We want to be a global-local company," Yang said.
Last year, Lenovo bought Brazilian electronics maker CCE, and U.S. cloud computing firm Stoneware.
Lenovo, which is making a concerted global push into tablets and ultrabooks, does not expect to launch a smartphone in the U.S. until it has more U.S. brand recognition, said Gerry Smith, head of North American business for Lenovo.
The lucrative U.S. phone market is dominated by Apple Inc and Google Inc gadgets.
Lenovo launched a number of smartphone models, including the S890 with a 5-inch screen, at the Consumer Electronics show, for distribution in various markets.
In its biggest market by revenue, China, it has 15 percent of smartphone sales, according to Gartner.
© Thomson Reuters 2012

Samsung unveils Exynos 5 Octa SoC with eight cores, likely to power Galaxy S IV

If Nvidia came with the Tegra 4 and Qualcomm brought its Snapdragon 800 Series to the CES stage in Nevada, then Samsung unveiled the next processor in its Exynos 5 lineup called the Exynos 5 Octa, an eight-core SoC dedicated to tablets and high-end smartphones.

That's right. Eight cores. These are divided into two separate groups with four-cores each. Any device that will feature the Exynos 5 Octa integration, is bound to have two quad-core processors powering it. This is one of the first chipsets to feature ARM's big.LITTLE architecture based on switching processor technology.

While four of them are Cortex-A15 cores as seen in the Exynos 5 Dual powering the Nexus 10 and Samsung's ARM Chromebook, the other four are Cortex-A7 CPU cores. The A7 cores have the same features and capabilities as the A15 cores, though they are more focussed on power efficiency than performance. The Korean manufacturer claims 70% power saving with this chip compared to its Exynos 5 Dual.

Both sets of cores are said to work in tandem together and offer great speeds without compromising on battery consumption.This differs from Nvidia's Tegra 3 and Tegra 4 SoCs, which include a low-power Cortex-A9 and a Cortex-A15 (respectively) "companion core" that can only be used when all of the SoC's other CPU cores are powered down

The new SoC will be manufactured using a 28nm process as opposed to the 32nm process used by the Exynos 5 Dual, hence claiming to be more power-efficient.

Earlier rumours were indicative of the Samsung Galaxy S IV being powered by a 2 GHz quad-core Exynos processor and an 8-core GPU, that will use ARM big.LITTLE architecture featuring a combination of an energy-efficient A7 processor and an A15 one for simple and heavy task processing. 

Panasonic may sell non-core money-making business units to raise cash

Japan's Panasonic Corp may see its headcount fall further and may sell non-core money-making business units to raise cash, president Kazuhiro Tsuga told reporters at the CES consumer electronics show in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Hammered by competition from South Korean rivals such as Samsung Electronics, Panasonic may also squeeze wages and seek joint ventures in its semiconductors and other struggling operations in a bid to rekindle profit growth, Tsuga said.
Shares in Panasonic slipped 1.4 percent to a two-week low in Tokyo morning trade, compared to a 0.4 percent increase on the benchmark Nikkei average.
The Panasonic chief said in an earlier keynote speech he would pursue strategies to expand business-to-business sales of car batteries, in-flight entertainment systems, hydrogen cells, solar panels and LED lighting.
Japan's share of the world's flat panel TV market this year likely contracted to 31 percent compared with 41 percent in 2010, according to the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association.
Panasonic earlier unveiled a prototype of the world's largest organic light-emitting display screen in a show of technological one-upmanship with its South Korean rivals Samsung and LG Electronics Inc.
Sony Corp, which is cooperating with Panasonic in OLED technology, unwrapped on Monday its own 56-inch ultra high-definition model.
Tsuga, who heads Japan's biggest commercial employer with 300,000 staff, is also pursuing a niche strategy and bolstering the company's appliance business in a bid to capture more profitable markets while the likes of Samsung and Apple Inc slug it out in mass-market consumer electronics.
The executive has promised to deliver the details of the revival plan by the end of March, when he plans to reorganize 88 businesses into 56 units.
So far he has said that businesses that fail to achieve a 5 percent operating margin within two years will be shuttered or sold. Sales of the weakest ones may start next business year. Panasonic in the year to March 31 is forecasting a net loss of $8.9 billion.
© Thomson Reuters 2012

Panasonic unveils Windows 8 Pro-running FZ-G1, Android-running JT-B1 Toughpads

Panasonic is on a roll this year with launching products across various categories. After the bone conduction TV headphones, the 56-inch 4K OLED TV and the 20-inch 4K Windows 8 tablet, the company also unveiled two new Toughpads running on Windows 8 Pro and Android.

The FZ-G1 is a 10-inch version that runs on Windows 8 Pro, while the 7-inch JT-B1 runs on Android 4.0. Both sport a rugged look obeying the MilSpec standard 810G and are expected to be water-proof and have daylight viewable screens. The FZ-G1 can even use a stylus with third-party apps.

In a nutshell, the FG-Z1 has a 10-inch 1,920 x 1,200 display powered by a 1.9GHz Ivy Bridge Intel Core i5-3437U vPro CPU, a 128GB SSD (upgradeable to 256GB), up to 8GB RAM an 8 hour battery and an optional microSD slot. Connectivity options include USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi and optional Verizon LTE or 3G.

On the other hand,the JT-B1 has a 7-inch 1,024 x 600 display and packs a 1.5GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4660, 16GB storage and 1GB RAM, built-in microSD slot, 13-megapixel rear and 1.3-megapixel cameras and a 5,720mAh battery promising upto 8 hours of life.

Coming to pricing and availability, the 10-inch Windows 8 Pro-based Toughpad FZ-G1 will be available in March starting at $2,899. The 7-inch Android-powered Toughpad JT-B1 will ship in February starting at $1,199.

Panasonic launched the first Android-based Toughpad in June last year called the Toughpad A1 that features a 10.1-inch LCD display and is water-proof, dust-proof and shock-proof.

Followed suit was a Windows 8-based Toughbook CF-C2 in India starting Rs. 1 lakh.Toughbook CF-C2 comes with 12.5-inch capacitive 5-finger multi-touch display and can be used both in tablet and clamshell mode.

The company recently launched the Toughpad FZ-A1 tablet and CF-AX2 ultrabook in the country priced at Rs. 75,000 and Rs. 1,30,000. While the FZ-A1 is already available, the CF-AX2 will be available starting February 2013.


Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 key specifications

• Windows 8 Pro
• 10.1-inch WUXGA (1920x1200) touchscreen and active digitiser
• 3rd Generation Intel Core i5-3437U vPro (1.9GHz upto 2.9GHz)
• 128-256GB SSD
• 4-8GB RAM, optional microSDXC
• MIL-STD-810G, 4' drop, IP65, 14° to 122°F (operational temp range)
• 10.6" x 7.4" x 0.75"
• 2.43 pounds
• User replaceable battery
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/, 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, optional embedded 4G LTE, Micro-USB
• Full-size USB 3.0, HDMI, Full-size USB 2.0, wired LAN, dedicated GPS

Panasonic Toughpad JT-B1 key specifications

• 7-inch WSVGA (1024 x 600)
• Android 4.0
• 1.5GHz Dual core TI OMAP4460 processor
• 16GB internal storage, microSDHC
• 1GB RAM
• MIL-STD-810G, 5' drop, IP65, 14° to 122°F (operational temp range)
• 13-megapixel auto focus with LED
• 1.3-megapixel front camera
• 5,720mAh user-replaceable battery
• 8.7"x 5.1" x 0.7"
• 1.2 pounds
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/, 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, optional embedded 4G LTE, Micro-USB

Huawei finally launches Ascend W1 with Windows Phone 8

After launching Huawei Ascend Mate and Ascend D2 at the CES 2013, the Chinese handset maker is now showing some Windows Phone 8 love.
Huawei had long been mentioned as one of the four original Windows Phone 8 manufacturers and while we've seen Windows Phone 8 offerings from Nokia, HTC and Samsung, Huawei had been missing in action until now.
Huawei has finally launched its Ascend W1 smartphone, which comes with a 4-inch IPS LCD screen and a resolution of 480x800. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8230 dual-core 1.2GHz processor with 512 MB of RAM. There is 4GB on-board memory, which can be expanded to up to 32GB with a microSD card.
Huawei Ascend W1 runs on Windows Phone 8 and comes with 1,950mAh battery that claims to give 470 hours of standby time,. There is 5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash on-board.
The company has announced that this smartphone will be first available in China and Russia markets from January 2013. Later it will be available to UK customers through operators Telefonica O2. It will come in two colour options - blue and ruby-pink. So far, Huawei has not indicated the price for this smartphone.
Huawei Device UK and Ireland Executive Vice President Mark Mitchinson said: "Windows Phone 8 is tremendously exciting in terms of both its functionality and the practical benefits it delivers. With the Ascend W1, Huawei has created a product to put this fresh smartphone experience within reach of a much wider audience. O2's record of championing innovative brands and technologies is remarkable, and we are delighted to partner with it for launch of the Ascend W1 in the UK."


Key Specs of Huawei Ascend W1

• 4-inch IPS LCD screen with 480x800 resolution
• Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8230 dual-core 1.2GHz processor
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB internal storage, can be expanded up to 32GB
• 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera
• Windows Phone 8
• 1,950 mAh battery

ZTE unveils Grand S, thinnest smartphone with full-HD display

ZTE has taken the wraps of its 5-inch smartphone, ZTE Grand S at the CES 2013. ZTE Grand S is the world's thinnest full-HD smartphone and is only 6.9mm thick.
From the specifications point of view, apart from 5-inch full-HD (1,920 x 1,080) display ZTE Grand S packs in Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 1.7GHz quad-core CPU. It comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage. It runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and has 1780 mAh battery. There is a 13-megapixel auto-focus camera on the rear and a 2-megapixel one on the front.
ZTE Grand S is expected to start retailing in China sometime in the first quarter of 2013, but there is no clear roadmap announced in regards to release in other countries. Also, the company has not disclosed the price ZTE Grand S.

Commenting on the launch, Kan Yulun, Corporate Vice President of ZTE Corporation and CTO of the ZTE Mobile Device Division, says, "The ZTE Grand S gives our customers the latest in technology, functionality and style. We understand that today's consumer's call for advanced features and state-of-the-art multimedia options in their handsets, and the ZTE Grand S confidently addresses those demands. It is fitting that we can announce the world debut of the ZTE Grand S at CES 2013, the world's largest annual innovation event."
Specifications for ZTE Grand S

• Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 1.7GHz quad-core CPU
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system
• 13 megapixel rear camera and 2 megapixel front
• 5 inch full-HD screen
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB Internal Storage
• 1780 mAh battery
• Supports 4G LTE
• Dimensions: 142*69*6.9mm

Sony Yuga C6603 hands-on reveals 5-inch full-HD display, 12-megapixel camera

The website posted a detailed hands-on with the phone that ousted rather interesting specs. The phone apparently features a 5-inch full-HD display at 440 PPI with Sony's Mobile Bravia Engine, which means Sony will join HTC in having a smartphone with a 1080p display, with the likes of Samsung, LG and ZTE expected to follow suit soon.
The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, which is expandable by another 128GB, unless there's something lost in translation here. Other features include a 12-megapixel rear camera, micro-USB as well as USB host mode, 802.11 a/b/g/n in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz modes, Bluetooth 4.0, LTE and NFC.

The Sony Yuga C6603 is widely expected to be unveiled at CES early next year. Earlier we saw rumours mentioning the Sony Yuga C660X which would reportedly feature a 5-inch full-HD display, quad-core processor from Samsung, 3GB RAM and an incredible 128GB of built-in storage.

It would be interesting to see which of these phones actually make an appearance at Sony's event at CES.

sam4sammy :: Sony C660X Yuga rumoured specs: 3GB RAM, 128GB storage, 16-megapixel camera, 5-inch full-HD display

Sony's next flagship smartphone has created plenty of excitement in the back alleys of the smartphone world where rumours and fiction mix freely. Here's a quick roundup of what's been mentioned so far.
Phone Arena reports via Chinese Forum IT168 that the Sony C660X Yuga will feature a quad-core processor from Samsung, 3GB RAM and an incredible 128GB of built-in storage - that's twice the storage of top-end models of smartphones like the iPhone!
Also included in the Sony C660X Yuga would be a 5-inch full-HD display, which means, based on what we've heard, the next generation flagship of four big Android manufacturers - HTC, Sony, Samsung and LG - are now on track to feature full-HD display (HTC's is already here).
Keeping with the Sony tradition of making phones with good cameras, the C660X Yuga is likely to feature a 16-megapixel camera. Powering this monster package will be a large 3000mAh battery. The phone is also expected to be water/ dust resistant, as was the case with some smartphones that Sony shipped in the second half of 2012.
The folks over at Xperia Blog state that the Sony C660X Yuga will feature a glass-back, similar to what we saw in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Earlier, we saw the folks over at Android Schweiz leak what they claim are the pictures of this Sony smartphone.
Sony is expected to unveil the next generation of Xperia smartphones at CES 2013 being held in Las Vegas from January 8 to 11, 2013. The Sony C660X Yuga is likely to make an appearance at the event.